Electric and hybrid electric vehicles often use sources of high voltage such as battery packs or fuel cells that deliver direct current (DC) to drive vehicle motors, electric traction systems, and other vehicle systems. These systems typically include power inverters to convert the DC input from the power source to a 3-phase alternating current (AC) output compatible with electric motors and other electrical components. Such inverters generally include both power and capacitor modules interconnected by a busbar system that distributes current throughout the inverter. Such busbar systems often involve one or more intricately-designed electrodes that are generally joined together with a multitude of fasteners. This relatively complex busbar can add significantly to total part count and cost for materials and assembly.
Moreover, some conventional inverters have been observed to incur voltage spikes when currents flowing through the power module abruptly change, such as when the inverter is switched off. The magnitudes of these voltage spikes are related to the inductance of the busbar. More particularly, the relationship between inductance (L), current (i), voltage (V), and time (t) is described in equation (1):V=L*(di/dt)  (1)This equation demonstrates that voltage spikes are intensified for systems that have a high inherent inductance. That is, even relatively small changes in current can produce relatively large voltage spikes if the inductance is high. A busbar may contribute substantially to the total inductance of an inverter system because of the relatively long current pathway between its various input and output nodes.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a low inductance busbar system to reduce voltage spikes when power modules are switched off. Further, it is also desirable to provide a busbar system for distributing current within a power inverter that has fewer parts and minimizes material costs. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.